Security systems are used to monitor homes and businesses to prevent unwanted intrusions as well as to guard against natural disasters. Critical to the operation of such security systems is their arming and disarming. Generally, a security system is armed and disarmed using a keypad on a control panel residing within the structure that the system monitors. Traditional keypads can be wired into the system's control panel or can be wireless. In addition, virtual keypad applications providing remote access to the security system over the Internet, GSMs, LANs, or WANs are also available.
However, the present virtual keypad applications require, for access to a communication system, such as the internet, specific network-enabled equipment. Consequently, there is a need for a security system whose status can be determined and changed with a standard device or standard equipment, such as a telephone, instead of or in addition to specific network-enabled equipment.